We called. You answered.
Many of you know that in late June, we held the #GivetoKorah fundraiser, seeking to raise immediate funds to cover the cost of food for OA Students and their families as they face famine in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We originally were aiming for $5,000. That amount would have been enough to cover one month of groceries for every family in the Out of the Ashes Program.
Before launching the fundraiser, OA Board member, Dick Hobbs, suggested we bump the goal to $15,000. With the knowledge that while one month of groceries would be great, we would be in the same boat the following month with a need looming over students and their families for food resources all over again. We launched the #GivetoKorah fundraiser with the new goal of $15,000, which would cover the entire summer in terms of our families and their food needs during this time.
You blew us away with your generosity, as always. We blew that second goal out of the water by more than doubling it. What does this mean?
It means that we not only covered our families for the duration of this summer in terms of being able to provide them with the food resources they so desperately needed, but we get to continue to meet that need for the next six months. Our first round of food distribution took place last week. You can see a few photos below that our staff sent to us showing families picking up their food.
One OA student even reached out to us personally to say the following:
“I want to thank you very much. My mother was worried about what we were going to eat, but God heard from above, and you, the whole team, have been supportive. Thank you very much! May God bless you and your team’s workers forever.”
God continued to be faithful to us at a time of unprecedented challenges. While there is still so much up in the air during this strange season, one thing we know is that we are grateful for each of you and your continued support of the Out of the Ashes program. We could not do what we do without your support.
We will continue to assess the food needs on an ongoing basis as we go forward. In the meantime, know you are amazingly generous people. We are resting in God’s goodness at this time and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead.
“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of the deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.
Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear.
I’ll never be lonely, for you are near. So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!” – Psalms 23:4-6
With Love and Deep Gratitude,
The OA Team
Many of you have received an email from us recently letting you know updated timelines for your Sponsor Student’s schooling and or intended graduation. As you can imagine, there have been several delays and changes in plans due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are working closely with our staff to figure out what it looks like for students moving forward.
We did get some updates this week. However, we still do not have all the answers yet. Please know that as we find out more information, we will be in touch with each of you individually to let you know what the timeline is for your students.
Usually, we would be revving up our engines post-July trip to send out the most updated student profiles and photos to you at this time of the year. Due to our July 2020 trip having been canceled due to the pandemic, we are experiencing delays there as well. Our staff in Ethiopia are working as quickly as possible to oversee student profiles themselves while seeking to obtain photos of your students for us to pass along to you.
Please be patient with us as there are often Internet issues between here and there. It could be a few weeks before we can start sending those updates and photos your way. In the meantime, if you have not yet done so, we highly encourage you to log into your new REACH account with Out of the Ashes.
REACH is the new tool we’ll use to manage our sponsorship program, projects, and fundraising campaigns from now on. One of the reasons we chose this new system was for its many benefits to you! With REACH, you have 24/7 access to your data, recent photos, and information sheets for your student.
You can edit your contact and payment information, review your donations, print your tax receipt documentation, and manage your sponsorships, including the ability to send and receive letters. We estimate responses to your notes will take 2-4 weeks. As a valued supporter/sponsor, you have already been added to the system.
Click on the below Sign-In button, enter your email address, leaving the password field blank, and click “Sign in.” You will receive an email with instructions on how to set up your password.
https://outoftheashorg.reachapp.co/users/sign_in
Once signed-in with your password, please complete these quick steps:
- Review your Contact Information, including your address, email address, and add your telephone number if you want to receive texts.
- Review your payment information. If your payment information is not correct, please contact Lauren Mitchell at [email protected].
- Review and Verify ‘My Sponsorships.’ We want to make sure you are connected to the proper student. If there is a problem with your sponsorship, please contact Kimberly Bass at [email protected].
REACH requires JavaScript to be enabled. If JS is disabled, the portal may not appear correctly. Also, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge to access your sponsor portal.
If you any troubles logging into your account, please let me know at [email protected]. I will help you get that taken care of!
All annual tuition payments were due August 1. To pay, you can log in to REACH or mail a check to:
Out of the Ash
PO Box 1928
Lebanon, MO 65536
Thank you for your continued support!!
